Mother of freed American journalist held hostage in Syria says family is 'eternally grateful'

Tuesday, August 26, 2014 - 00:20

The mother of Peter Theo Curtis, the U.S. journalist held hostage in Syria for two years, speaks about her son's release. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

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ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION) The mother of an American journalist who was held hostage in Syria for two years is speaking out about her son's release. Nancy Curtis says her family is grateful to everyone who helped negotiate the release of her son Peter Theo Curtis. "Everybody has been so supportive, and we really appreciate it. We've had tremendous support from people we know, people that we didn't know before that we now know and also people behind the scenes and we may never know their names. But we are really grateful," said his mother Nancy Curtis outside her Cambridge, Massachusetts home. Al Qaeda-linked militants in Syria on Sunday freed Curtis who had been missing since 2012 following what officials said were efforts by the Gulf Arab state of Qatar to win his release. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement Peter Theo Curtis had been held by Nusra Front, al Qaeda's official wing in Syria whose rivalry with Islamic State has fueled war among the insurgents themselves. President Barack Obama, who was briefed on Curtis' release, "shares in the joy and relief that we all feel now that Theo is out of Syria and safe," the White House said. News of Curtis' release emerged just days after the Islamic State group posted a video on the Internet showing one of its fighters beheading American journalist James Foley, who was kidnapped in Syria in 2012.

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